Written By Marina Dawson

We’ve all been there – you know your battery is fully charged but after only a short period of use it dies, usually at a most inconvenient time.  Although often inconvenient, in some situations this can be downright dangerous.  Users often don’t fully understand that most batteries fail due to poor maintenance and use.  If you want to save yourself both time and money, it’s a good idea to have some knowledge about the causes of premature battery failure.

Sulphation is a major cause of battery failure.  It occurs when the sulphur particles in the battery acid harden against the battery’s lead plates. This process will drastically shorten the life of your battery.  There is a multitude of contributing factors to sulphation, but the process is mostly preventable with good care and management techniques.  Extreme heat and cold can be a problem, so try to keep your batteries at room temperature as much as possible.  Immediately recharge your battery once it has been used – leaving it too long will make it difficult to reverse the sulphation process.  Undercharging a battery is also common error.  It is vital to properly charge your battery after usage.  Charging the battery to even ninety per cent of capacity will lead to sulphation in the remaining ten per cent.  Be sure you are using the correct charging levels on your battery charger, as incorrectly charging is another common error.  Purchasing an inexpensive battery charger may not save you money in the long run if it is ruining your batteries.

Parasitic drain occurs when the battery is being used even though the equipment is turned off.  For instance, if you leave your battery in the engine of your car, motorcycle or boat, even with the key off there could be things running that are draining power.  Most often this occurs with clocks, GPS units, and other electronic devices.  If you find yourself constantly battling dead batteries after a few days in between uses, it’s likely that you are dealing with parasitic battery drain.

There are many other ways to keep your battery in good condition, thereby extending its life.  First and foremost, use your battery!  Try to use your battery at least every two to three weeks.  Fully discharging your battery prior to charging is a good thing, and will continue to keep your battery in good condition.  Try to avoid the cycle of partial use and recharging.  When not in use, proper storage is essential.  Keep your battery cool and dry.  If you won’t be using it for a month or more, remove it from the engine and put it in storage.  When taking your battery out of storage it will likely need a full charge before being used.  Never allow your batter y to get wet, and if needed you can clean battery contacts with a cotton swab and alcohol.

Keeping your batteries in good shape takes a little bit of thought and time, but you’ll find that the benefits are great as you both save money and provide yourself with a much more reliable source of power.

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